Rewanui Private Kindergarten - 11/11/2014

On this page:

1 Evaluation of Rewanui Private Kindergarten

How well placed is Rewanui Private Kindergarten to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

Recently appointed kindergarten leaders have made a positive start to updating systems and processes. This kindergarten should develop a sustainable approach to improving teaching practice and learning for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Rewanui Private Kindergarten is situated in Palmerston North and provides education and care for up to thirty children over two years of age. The kindergarten operates five days per week. There is a musical emphasis in the afternoon programme twice weekly and a focus on transition to school on one afternoon. Many children attend part time.

The recently appointed manager is shared with a nearby centre. A change to the management structure has resulted in the appointment of a supervisor to oversee the day-to-day running of the kindergarten. Since these new appointments, many positive changes have occurred. However, some areas identified in the September 2011 ERO report have not been sufficiently addressed. These include the need to improve assessment, planning, evaluation and self review.

The Review Findings

Children’s sense of belonging is fostered through the regular routines. They participate in a playbased programme for sustained periods. At times teachers use a range of appropriate strategies to support children’s play. Managers have indicated that they intend to develop teachers' understanding of intentional decisions to implement the best strategies for children’s learning. ERO affirms this and adds that ways to promote children’s independence and decision-making skills should also be considered.

Teachers are warm and welcoming to parents and children. They know children well within the context of their family and draw on parents' skills to enhance the curriculum. Te Whāriki informs and guides the curriculum. The level of supervision provided by teachers requires improvement. They need to monitor the wider kindergarten environment more consistently.

Assessment, planning and evaluation require further development. External support has been accessed for teachers to build their capacity. Developments should include a focus on responding to children’s individual interests and strengths and how teachers add challenge to children’s learning. Parents' aspirations should be purposefully reflected in their child’s learning journey.

The bicultural programme requires strengthening. Some teachers use te reo Māori and aspects of tikanga Māori are evident. Greater consistency of practice is required. A shared centre vision of success for Māori as Māori should be developed in consultation with whānau.

Checking the kindergarten environment to identify how strongly Pacific cultures are reflected should assist teachers to consider how to promote Pacific families' sense of belonging.

An appropriate emphasis on mathematical learning is evident through the curriculum. Teachers acknowledge that this focus should continue to be strengthened and are undertaking professional development. ERO affirms this direction.

Managers have identified that self review should be strengthened. Next steps should include improving teachers’ understanding of the review process and knowledge of evaluation.

Long-term planning clearly identifies the centre's priorities and associated goals towards achieving the vision. A regular cycle of policy review is evident. However, policies need more development to reflect high quality practice. Managers should ensure that staff have a sound understanding of the requirements of the licensing criteria and other regulatory requirements.

Performance management processes need strengthening to support the professional learning and development of teachers and to contribute to the service achieving its vision and goals. The programme of induction and mentoring for provisionally registered teachers should be formalised so that expectations are clear.

Key Next Steps

Next steps to improve the quality of teaching and learning are to:

further develop assessment, planning and evaluation

extend the bicultural nature of the curriculum and explore what success for Māori as Māori means in this context

build processes that support teachers' professional practice

strengthen self review.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Rewanui Private Kindergarten completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:

curriculum

premises and facilities

health and safety practices

governance, management and administration.

During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:

Actions for compliance

ERO identified an area of non-compliance relating to curriculum. To meet requirements the service needs to improve performance in the following area:

plan, implement and evaluate a curriculum that is designed to enhance children's learning and development. [Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Centres 2008, R 43, 1 (a)]

In order to improve practice, managers should strengthen personnel management and health and safety practices.

Development Plan Recommendation

ERO recommends that the service consult with the Ministry of Education and plan to address the key next steps and actions outlined in this report.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Rewanui Private Kindergarten will be within two years.

Joyce Gebbie

National Manager Review Services

Central Region

11 November 2014

The Purpose of ERO Reports

The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Palmerston North

Ministry of Education profile number

52511

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

30 children over two years

Service roll

44

Gender composition

Girls 24

Boys 20

Ethnic composition

Māori

NZ European/Pākehā

Samoan

Other ethnic groups

3

37

1

3

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80% Based on funding rates

80%

Reported ratios of staff to children

Over 2

1:8

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

September 2014

Date of this report

11 November 2014

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

September 2011

Education Review

June 2008

Education Review

August 2005

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:

Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children

Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children

Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children

Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.

Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.

ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.

A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years

Well placed – The next ERO review in three years

Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years

Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.